Cubana de Aviación Flight 310
Encyclopedia
Cubana de Aviación
Flight 310 was a scheduled international flight from José Martí International Airport
, Havana
, Cuba
to Arturo Michelena International Airport
. Valencia, Venezuela which crashed near Bejuma
, Venezuela on 25 December 1999. All 22 people on board were killed.
, registration CU-T1285. The aircraft had been built in 1991 as msn 4520424914068.
, Havana
, Cuba
bound for Simón Bolívar International Airport
, Caracas
, Venezuela. Due to mudslides and flooding it was diverted to Arturo Michelena International Airport
. Valencia, Venezuela. The aircraft was held for 40 minutes.
The pilots called Air Traffic Control at Valencia Airport say that they were descending from 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) feet to get ready to approach. As Flight 310 started its approach to Valencia Airport the aircraft struck the San Luis Hill. The aircraft crashed near the town of Bejuma
. All 22 passengers and crew died in the crash, which happened at 20:18 local time (00:48, 26 December UTC
). The location of the crash was 10°11.5′N 68°08.8′W.
Cubana de Aviación
Cubana de Aviación S.A., commonly known as Cubana, is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on 8 October 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport...
Flight 310 was a scheduled international flight from José Martí International Airport
José Martí International Airport
José Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is located southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines...
, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
to Arturo Michelena International Airport
Arturo Michelena International Airport
Arturo Michelena International Airport serves the fast-growing industrial city of Valencia in Venezuela two hours from Caracas . It is an active airport but with few facilities, located at 10° 9' 29.46 North latitude, 67° 55' 36.31 W longitude....
. Valencia, Venezuela which crashed near Bejuma
Bejuma
Bejuma is a small town in Carabobo State, Venezuela, seat of the Bejuma Municipality.- History :The town of Bejuma was founded in 1843 by the landowners of the "Fundo Bejuma" hacienda.- Economy :The economy of the region is based on agriculture...
, Venezuela on 25 December 1999. All 22 people on board were killed.
Aircraft
The aircraft involved was a Yakovlev Yak-42DYakovlev Yak-42
The Yakovlev Yak-42 is a 100/120-seat three-engined mid-range passenger jet. It was designed as a replacement for several obsolete Aeroflot jets as a mid-range passenger jet...
, registration CU-T1285. The aircraft had been built in 1991 as msn 4520424914068.
Accident
The flight had departed José Martí International AirportJosé Martí International Airport
José Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is located southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines...
, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
bound for Simón Bolívar International Airport
Simón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)
Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
, Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela. Due to mudslides and flooding it was diverted to Arturo Michelena International Airport
Arturo Michelena International Airport
Arturo Michelena International Airport serves the fast-growing industrial city of Valencia in Venezuela two hours from Caracas . It is an active airport but with few facilities, located at 10° 9' 29.46 North latitude, 67° 55' 36.31 W longitude....
. Valencia, Venezuela. The aircraft was held for 40 minutes.
The pilots called Air Traffic Control at Valencia Airport say that they were descending from 8000 feet (2,438.4 m) to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) feet to get ready to approach. As Flight 310 started its approach to Valencia Airport the aircraft struck the San Luis Hill. The aircraft crashed near the town of Bejuma
Bejuma
Bejuma is a small town in Carabobo State, Venezuela, seat of the Bejuma Municipality.- History :The town of Bejuma was founded in 1843 by the landowners of the "Fundo Bejuma" hacienda.- Economy :The economy of the region is based on agriculture...
. All 22 passengers and crew died in the crash, which happened at 20:18 local time (00:48, 26 December UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
). The location of the crash was 10°11.5′N 68°08.8′W.
Passengers and crew
The nationalities of the victims of Flight 310 were-| Country | Passengers | Crew | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cuba |
4 | 12 | 16 |
 Venezuela |
4 | - | 4 |
 Netherlands |
2 | - | 2 |
| Total | 10 | 12 | 22 |
